21 Years After Selena’s Death: This Is What Los Dinos Have Been Up To

We all know that Selena wasn’t a solo act. She was backed up by a badass band we know as Los Dinos. Although the band continued playing after her death, they never really recovered from the tragic loss (same) and disbanded in 2002. Since then, the members have gone their own way. Here’s what they’ve been up to lately…

Mr. and Mrs. Quintanilla

After Selena’s death, Abraham Quintanilla Jr., who started and then managed Selena y Los Dinos, has been dedicated to protecting his daughter’s legacy. He’s been involved in anything that has Selena’s name, including documentaries, albums, movies, fashion lines – even the Selena museum. He and his wife, Marcella, also founded The Selena Foundation, which helps kids in crisis.

Don’t act like you don’t remember the song “Chiquilla” and yelling out “Te quiero!” Well, two years after his sister’s death, A.B. Quintanilla resurfaced with his own group, Kumbia Kings, a blend of cumbia, pop and R&B. After drama with his bandmate, Cruz Martinez, A.B. left the group and launched Kumbia All Starz in 2006.

Suzette Quintanilla – Drums

Suzette Quintanilla halted her music career after her sister’s death in 1995. Now she’s the manager of Selena’s museum in Corpus Christi, Texas, and the family’s music production company, Q-Productions. They sign groups that play Tejano music, similar to Los Dinos.

Chris Perez – Guitars

Chris Perez, Selena’s widower, formed his own music group, The Chris Perez Band, in 1998. That year, he married Vanessa Villanueva and later had two children. Although his band was rather successful, they disbanded in 2002. After his divorce from Vanessa, he formed another band in 2010 called the Chris Perez Project, but with little success. In 2012, he wrote the book “To Selena, With Love” without the permission of the Quintanilla family(!), which included personal photos and love letters between the two. Don’t worry, the family later approved the book’s publication.

Pete Astudillo – Backup Vocals

Pete Astudillo, who co-wrote some of Selena’s most popular songs like “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom,” and rocked that iconic mullet, went on to have a lot of success. He released five albums on his own, the last one in 1999. Aside from participating in Selena’s 2005 tribute concert, he has not released any other music.

Ricky Vela – Keyboards / Songwriter

Ricky Vela (right of Suzette) was also co-brains behind a lot of Selena’s most popular songs, like “La Llamada,” “Fotos y Recuerdos,” and “El Chico Del Apartamento 512.” He continued writing music after Selena died, but slowed down after 1999.